UNITED STATES/FILE: One of six mine detecting dogs being sent to Southern Lebanon unveiled to press in New York

Record ID: 336464

  • Title: UNITED STATES/FILE: One of six mine detecting dogs being sent to Southern Lebanon unveiled to press in New York
  • Date: 28th November 2000
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA (NOVEMBER 28, 2000) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF 'SALLY' AND HER TRAINER AT US MISSION (3 SHOTS) PAN/SV: SALLY AT PRESS CONFERENCE (2 SHOTS) SV/WS: SALLY SNIFFING OUT MINE IN PLANTER, AUDIENCE APPAULDING (2 SHOTS) SV: EVENT ATTENDEES PETTING SALLY SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) PERRY BALTIMORE, PRESIDENT OF THE MARSHALL LEGACY INSTITUTE SAYING: "There's a clos
  • Embargoed: 13th December 2000 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Conflict,Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVAAGY8QBAS1UWFE7ACQ1I4OMPL1
  • Story Text: A team of six mine detecting dogs are ready to help the people of Lebanon clean up the landmines left over from their civil war.
    One of these dogs, 'Sally,' put on a display of her bomb sniffing prowess in New York on Tuesday (November 28).
    Sally, is one of the six trained canines which will patrol the southern area of Lebanon detecting mines that were left over from the country's recent civil war.
    Since the war ended, 1629 personnel mines and 22 tank mines have been removed from Lebanese soil, but even with that effort 11 people have lost their lives and 54 were wounded by landmines. Many more of the death traps lie hidden underground.
    The K9 Demining Corps is a joint effort involving the US State Department and two non-profit organizations, The Marshal Legacy Institute and the Humpty Dumpty Institute.
    Mine detection dogs are one of the most versatile and valuable tools for landmine detection. Because of their heightened sense of smell, which is 100 times as acute as that of a human, a trained dog can detect a buried mine by smelling the explosive. Each dog must undergo a rigorous training program to enable them to alert their handler of an existing landmine without getting hurt.
    Perry Baltimore, the president of the Marshall Legacy Institute says that a success demining team of dog and handler is one that works well together.
    "There's a close bonding relationship between man and dog and they work as a team. The dog can't be any better than the handler, they need to work very closely together, so there is a close bond attach because their lives are in each others hand, or paws," said Baltimore.
    13 year-old Julio Perez lost an arm, and his left eye to a landmine in Nicaragua when he was 10. Julio was playing in a field with his brothers, sisters, and ironically the family dog when a landmine he picked up out of curiosity exploded in his hand.
    Julio said he enjoyed getting the chance to pet Sally and he said of the dogs, "They can save lives."
    Nearly 300 explosive sniffing, mine detection dogs are currently contributing to demining operations in over a dozen countries throughout the world. However many more dog teams are required to help clear landmines that pose a serious problem for over 60 countries worldwide.
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